It was a light night for a fireside chat.
While University President Lee Bollinger has previously fielded questions on topics like the economic crisis and Columbia’s endowment, Wednesday night’s chat began with an inquiry into how Bollinger feels about his oft-used moniker “PrezBo.”
“I’ve always assumed it’s not hostile,” Bollinger joked, “and therefore I like it. Anything that’s not hostile, I like… Feel free to use it.”
The room of around 50 student guests often erupted in laughter at Bollinger’s jokes or a student’s remarks, after enjoying the customary lavish spread of catered gourmet food at his residence at 60 Morningside Drive for the first fireside chat of the semester.
Still, some serious topics were also discussed—such as the issue of space, the frustrations of Bollinger’s job, financial aid, and the Core.
Bollinger cited the University’s Manhattanville expansion as a solution to Columbia’s lack of long-term available space since, Bollinger said, “For the past 40 years, Columbia has been out of space.”
On a related note, a student asked about the University’s role as a “neighbor” to the surrounding areas, such as Harlem, and how the University views this role.
“We have taken a lot of steps to enhance the number of opportunities for people who live around here,” Bollinger said, citing the construction of the job center on 125th Street and Broadway, as well as outreach to local schools and both health and legal clinics for the neighboring communities. “These are very, very tangible ways that we’ve made Columbia’s resources available to the local community in ways that really matter... But you can never really feel like you’ve done enough.”
One student asked Bollinger what the hardest part about his job is, and what frustrates him the most:
“I know what could happen, that it would be good for the world, if Columbia had more money… There are huge issues out there that really need the kind of research, I mean universities are special places, but what they do best is they try to understand the problems that the world has and we try to come up with solutions. There’s just so much more we could do if we had more resources.”
Bollinger also cited the challenge of convincing people that the issues he cares about are in the best interest of the university. “So much depends upon persuasion. I don’t have the kind of power that the head of a business has … a lot of what I have to do is persuasion. That can be frustrating. I think there ought to be, for example, a lot more international students in the College … but I haven’t persuaded enough people yet.”
Another student asked about financial aid for students in the School of General Studies, and inquired why the financial aid offered to GS students is so different than that offered to students in the College.
Bollinger affirmed that the financial aid offered to GS students isn’t comparable to that which is offered to CC students, and explained that the difference is due to the University’s decentralized structure and the way that donations are distributed.
“Tuition only pays for 50 percent of what we give you,” Bollinger said. The rest of the money comes from other funds, such as donations, and when people give money to the university, they generally donate to specific schools. Because donations to the College have a longer precedent and because College alumni tend on average to be wealthier than alumni from GS, the money available for financial aid for the two different groups varies.
When Bollinger turned the tables on his audience and asked for their commentary about what they like and dislike about the university, most responded that they were pleased with the way the school was running. While some voiced concerns about their job prospects in the future and the effectiveness of the Center for Career Education (which, one student stated, is too geared towards finance), the discussion ended on a light note.
“Stock up on food,” Bollinger added, referring to what was left of the gourmet spread, as students were filing out of the room. “It’s free!”
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